Khloe Kardashian addresses Lamar Odom charity claims

Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian has spoken out to silence allegations her basketball player husband Lamar Odom has improperly used funds from his charity.

The Los Angeles Clippers star created Cathy’s Kids in memory of his mother, who died from cancer when he was 12, to help children fighting the disease.

A report from ESPN suggested charity money had not been handed over to cancer charities as pledged, alleging the cash had instead been used to fund two “elite” youth basketball teams, in addition to paying an annual salary to Odom’s high school coach for being the organization’s secretary.

Kardashian has now written a lengthy blog post addressing the issue, stating, “It is unfortunate that my husband has been the target of an attack on athletes’ charities, although he has personally contributed approximately $2.2 million to his foundation, Cathy’s Kids, to fulfill its charitable purposes that include helping underprivileged inner-city youth.

“The millions of dollars personally contributed by Lamar constituted more than 90 per cent of the money raised by the foundation. All of the funds donated by Lamar and the other contributions to Cathy’s Kids were used for one of the foundation’s intended charitable purposes.

“Not one penny went to help Lamar personally or any member of his family. No charitable funds were misused, and the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) has repeatedly given Cathy’s Kids a clean bill of health, confirming that there were no improprieties.”

Kardashian goes on to defend the decision to use some of the money to fund youth basketball teams, adding, “Cathy’s Kids was formed with several purposes in mind, including benefitting underprivileged youth and cancer research. A decision was ultimately made that the charity should focus on one of those purposes – to help enrich the lives of underprivileged inner-city youth. It accomplished that goal. Cathy’s Kids helped fund multiple AAU basketball teams providing underprivileged youth with opportunities enriching their lives. …”